The CPC’s Role as the Mainstay Is the Key to the Chinese People’s Victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan

The victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japan was the first complete victory in China’s resistance against foreign invasion since modern times, and it was a historical turning point for the Chinese nation from the deep crisis of modern times toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The key to the great victory in the War of Resistance lies in the fact that the Communist Party of China played the role of the mainstay. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The CPC’s role as the mainstay is the key to the Chinese people’s victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan”; “The victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japan was a great victory in which the CPC played the role of the mainstay.” General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important exposition profoundly elucidates the CPC’s role as the mainstay in the War of Resistance Against Japan. It is a scientific conclusion drawn from a comprehensive summary of the 14-year history of the War of Resistance, and it is a resounding and irrefutable historical conclusion.

中国人民抗日战争的胜利是近代以来中国抗击外敌入侵的第一次完全胜利，是中华民族从近代以来陷入深重危机走向伟大复兴的历史转折点。抗日战争之所以能取得伟大胜利，关键在于中国共产党发挥了中流砥柱作用。习近平总书记指出：“中国共产党的中流砥柱作用是中国人民抗日战争胜利的关键”；“中国人民抗日战争胜利是中国共产党发挥中流砥柱作用的伟大胜利”。习近平总书记的重要论述，深刻阐释了中国共产党在抗日战争中的中流砥柱作用，是全面总结14年抗战史得出的科学结论，是掷地有声、颠扑不破的历史结论。

Political Guidance: Advocating, Facilitating, and Upholding the Anti-Japanese National United Front

政治引领：倡导、促成和维护抗日民族统一战线

History fully proves that without the CPC there would have been no Anti-Japanese National United Front, and without the Anti-Japanese National United Front there would have been no nationwide war of resistance. The CPC was the well-deserved mainstay and political leadership core of the War of Resistance Against Japan.

历史充分证明，没有中国共产党就没有抗日民族统一战线，没有抗日民族统一战线就没有全民族抗战，中国共产党是抗日战争当之无愧的中流砥柱和政治领导核心。

The CPC was the first to advocate the Anti-Japanese National United Front. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “At this moment of national crisis, the CPC upheld the greater good of the nation, shouldered the historical responsibility of national salvation, and called for the establishment of an Anti-Japanese National United Front based on Kuomintang-CPC cooperation, in order to resist Japanese aggression and drive the Japanese invaders out of China.” After the September 18th Incident in 1931 [1]1 The September 18th Incident (1931) was a staged event used by the Japanese Kwantung Army as a pretext to invade and occupy Northeast China., the Kuomintang implemented a policy of “non-resistance,” compromising and making concessions to Japan, while the CPC marched at the forefront of the patriotic anti-Japanese movement, sounded the first clarion call to save the nation from peril, and actively worked to win over allies and establish a united front. In 1935, at a historical juncture when the national crisis was unprecedentedly severe and the Sino-Japanese national contradiction had become the principal contradiction, the CPC set aside past grievances, issued the “August First Declaration” [2]2 The “August First Declaration” (1935) was a public statement by the CPC calling for an end to the civil war and the formation of a united front against Japan., and called on all political parties, armies, and compatriots from all walks of life to immediately cease the civil war and concentrate all national strength on the sacred cause of resisting Japan and saving the nation. In December of the same year, the Wayaobu Conference [3]3 The Wayaobu Conference (December 1935) was a key CPC meeting that formally adopted the policy of establishing an Anti-Japanese National United Front. formulated the strategic policy of establishing an Anti-Japanese National United Front. At the same time, the CPC also led the December 9th Movement [4]4 The December 9th Movement (1935) was a large-scale student-led protest in Beijing demanding that the Kuomintang government resist Japanese aggression., which set off a new upsurge in the national anti-Japanese salvation movement and awakened the Chinese nation to a new consciousness.

中国共产党是抗日民族统一战线的首倡者。习近平总书记指出：“在此民族危难之际，中国共产党秉持民族大义，担负起民族救亡的历史重任，呼吁建立以国共合作为基础的抗日民族统一战线，以抵抗日寇侵略、驱逐日寇出中国。”1931年九一八事变后，国民党实行“不抵抗”政策，对日妥协退让，中国共产党则走在抗日爱国运动最前列，吹响了挽救民族危亡的第一声号角，积极开展争取同盟者、建立统一战线的工作。1935年，在民族危机空前严重、中日民族矛盾成为主要矛盾的历史关头，中国共产党捐弃前嫌，发表“八一宣言”，呼吁全国各党派、各军队、各界同胞立即停止内战，集中一切国力为抗日救国的神圣事业而奋斗。同年12月，瓦窑堡会议制定了建立抗日民族统一战线的策略方针。与此同时，中国共产党还领导一二·九运动，掀起全国抗日救亡新高潮，唤起了中华民族的新觉醒。

The CPC was an active promoter of the Anti-Japanese National United Front. In December 1936, the CPC facilitated the peaceful resolution of the Xi’an Incident [5]5 The Xi’an Incident (December 1936) was the kidnapping of Chiang Kai-shek by two of his generals, Zhang Xueliang and Yang Hucheng, to force him to form a united front with the CPC against Japan; it was resolved peacefully through CPC mediation., laying the foundation for the second round of Kuomintang-CPC cooperation. In February 1937, the Central Committee of the CPC sent a telegram to the Third Plenary Session of the Fifth Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang [6]6 The Third Plenary Session of the Fifth Central Executive Committee of the Kuomintang (February 1937) was a meeting where the Kuomintang formally adopted the principle of ending the civil war and uniting against Japan., proposing five demands and four guarantees, prompting the Kuomintang to establish the principle of ceasing the civil war and uniting against Japan. In May of the same year, Comrade Mao Zedong profoundly pointed out: “Today, the bourgeoisie, represented by the Kuomintang, still carries a great deal of passivity and conservatism” “This situation increases the political leadership responsibility of the proletariat and its party. The Communist Party is duty-bound and cannot shirk the responsibility of serving as the general staff for the resistance against Japan and national salvation.” This emphasized the CPC’s political guidance of the War of Resistance. After the outbreak of the July 7th Incident in 1937 [7]7 The July 7th Incident (1937), also known as the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, was a clash between Chinese and Japanese troops near Beijing that triggered the full-scale outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War., the Central Committee of the CPC immediately issued a telegram, calling for the building of a solid Great Wall of the Anti-Japanese National United Front to resist aggression, and submitted to the Kuomintang the “Declaration of the Central Committee of the CPC on the Publication of Kuomintang-CPC Cooperation.” On September 22, the Central News Agency of the Kuomintang published this declaration; the following day, Chiang Kai-shek issued a statement, effectively recognizing the legal status of the CPC. This marked the formal formation of the Anti-Japanese National United Front based on Kuomintang-CPC cooperation. In this regard, the renowned democratic personage Liang Shuming [8]8 Liang Shuming (1893–1988) was a prominent Chinese philosopher, educator, and democratic activist who was not a member of the CPC. commented: “Since Japan invaded China, the CPC has put forward a series of anti-Japanese propositions, especially Kuomintang-CPC cooperation and united resistance against Japan, which have won popular support” “Their prestige has even surpassed that of the Kuomintang.”

中国共产党是抗日民族统一战线的积极推动者。1936年12月，中国共产党促成西安事变和平解决，为第二次国共合作奠定了基础。1937年2月，中共中央致电国民党五届三中全会，提出五项要求和四项保证，促使其确定了停止内战、一致抗日的原则。同年5月，毛泽东同志深刻指出：“在今天，以国民党为代表的资产阶级还带着很多的被动性和保守性”“这种情况，加重了无产阶级及其政党的政治领导责任。抗日救国的总参谋部的职务，共产党是责无旁贷和义不容辞的”。这就强调了中国共产党对抗战的政治引领。1937年七七事变爆发后，中共中央立即发出通电，号召建立抗日民族统一战线的坚固长城来抵抗侵略，并向国民党递交《中共中央为公布国共合作宣言》。9月22日，国民党中央通讯社发表这一宣言；次日蒋介石发表谈话，事实上承认了中国共产党的合法地位。这标志着以国共合作为基础的抗日民族统一战线正式形成。对此，著名民主人士梁漱溟曾评价：“自日本侵略中国后，中共提出一系列的抗日主张，特别是国共合作，一致抗日，深得人心”“声光几出国民党之上”。

The CPC was a steadfast defender of the Anti-Japanese National United Front. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The CPC held high the banner of the Anti-Japanese National United Front, resolutely safeguarded, consolidated, and developed the united front, adhered to independence and initiative and united resistance against Japan, and maintained the overall situation of united resistance against Japan.” In 1935, Comrade Mao Zedong, in a report at a meeting of Party activists in Wayaobu, northern Shaanxi, predicted: “The Communist Party and the Red Army not only now serve as the initiators of the Anti-Japanese National United Front, but in the future anti-Japanese government and anti-Japanese army they will inevitably become the strong mainstay, so that the policy of the Japanese imperialists and Chiang Kai-shek to undermine the Anti-Japanese National United Front through divisive tactics cannot achieve its ultimate goal” “This is the leading role of the Communist Party and the Red Army in the national united front.” After the War of Resistance entered the stage of stalemate, the Kuomintang launched three anti-communist high tides [9]9 The three anti-communist high tides refer to three major military and political offensives launched by the Kuomintang against the CPC during the War of Resistance (1939, 1940–1941, and 1943)., and the situation of united resistance was on the verge of reversal several times. However, the CPC always prioritized the greater good of the nation, unswervingly promoted the entire nation’s adherence to resistance, unity, and progress, opposed compromise, splitting, and retrogression, and adopted a policy of both uniting and struggling, seeking unity through struggle, thereby continuously consolidating and developing the Anti-Japanese National United Front, providing political guarantees for the ultimate victory in the War of Resistance.

中国共产党是抗日民族统一战线的坚定维护者。习近平总书记指出：“中国共产党高举抗日民族统一战线的旗帜，坚决维护、巩固、发展统一战线，坚持独立自主、团结抗战，维护了团结抗战大局。”1935年，毛泽东同志在陕北瓦窑堡党的活动分子会议上作报告时预言：“共产党和红军不但在现在充当着抗日民族统一战线的发起人，而且在将来的抗日政府和抗日军队中必然要成为坚强的台柱子，使日本帝国主义者和蒋介石对于抗日民族统一战线所使用的拆台政策，不能达到最后的目的”“这就是共产党和红军在民族统一战线中的领导作用”。抗战进入相持阶段后，国民党先后掀起三次反共高潮，团结抗战局面几度濒临逆转。但中国共产党始终以民族大义为重，坚定不移推动全民族坚持抗战、团结、进步，反对妥协、分裂、倒退，采取既联合又斗争、以斗争求团结的政策，使抗日民族统一战线不断得到巩固和发展，为最终夺取抗战胜利提供了政治保障。

Social Mobilization: Adhering to the Line of Total Resistance Against Japan

社会动员：坚持全面抗战路线

The Anti-Japanese National United Front included not only the Kuomintang and the CPC and various patriotic parties and groups, but also the broad masses of the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “In the arduous and extraordinary War of Resistance, all Chinese sons and daughters fought for the survival of the nation, for the rejuvenation of the nation, and for human justice. The breadth of social mobilization, the depth of national awakening, the tenacity of the fighting will, and the firmness of the belief in victory all reached an unprecedented height.” In August 1937, the “Ten-Point Program for Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation” formulated by the Central Committee of the CPC put forward a set of measures including defeating Japanese imperialism, implementing a general military mobilization of the whole country, and a general mobilization of the entire people, marking the formal formation of the line of total resistance against Japan. The “Decision of the Central Committee of the CPC on the Current Situation and the Party’s Tasks” adopted at the Luochuan Conference [10]10 The Luochuan Conference (August 1937) was a CPC meeting that adopted the Ten-Point Program for Resisting Japan and Saving the Nation and the line of total resistance against Japan. emphasized: “Communist Party members and the masses and armed forces under their leadership should stand most actively at the forefront of the struggle, should make themselves the core of the nationwide war of resistance, and should use great strength to develop the anti-Japanese mass movement.” This clearly set forth the tasks of becoming the core of the War of Resistance and boldly mobilizing the masses.

抗日民族统一战线不仅包括国共两党及各爱国党派团体，还包括广大民众。习近平总书记指出：“在艰苦卓绝的抗日战争中，全体中华儿女为国家生存而战、为民族复兴而战、为人类正义而战，社会动员之广泛，民族觉醒之深刻，战斗意志之顽强，必胜信念之坚定，都达到了空前的高度。”1937年8月，中共中央制定的《抗日救国十大纲领》提出打倒日本帝国主义、实行全国军事总动员和全国人民总动员等一整套措施，标志着全面抗战路线正式形成。洛川会议通过的《中共中央关于目前形势与党的任务的决定》强调：“共产党员及其所领导的民众和武装力量，应该最积极的站在斗争的最前线，应该把自己成为全国抗战的核心，应该用极大力量发展抗日的群众运动。”这里明确提出了成为抗战核心和放手发动群众的任务。

During this period, Comrade Mao Zedong repeatedly pointed out: “The combination of the people’s strength and military strength will deal a fatal blow to Japanese imperialism. A national war that does not rely on the broad masses of the people will undoubtedly be unable to achieve victory.” Therefore, “we advocate a complete national revolutionary war with the general mobilization of the entire people, or what is called total resistance against Japan.” In 1938, Comrade Mao Zedong further emphasized in “On Protracted War”: “The deepest source of the immense power of war lies in the masses of the people” “Such a great national revolutionary war cannot be won without widespread and deep political mobilization.” To carry out political mobilization, it is first necessary to tell the army and the people the political purpose of the war, and to make every soldier and every person understand why they are fighting and what the war has to do with them. Only then can an anti-Japanese upsurge be created, enabling tens of millions of people to unite as one and contribute everything to the war. Practice has proven that the line of total resistance against Japan combined the implementation of a nationwide war of resistance with the struggle for people’s democracy and the improvement of the people’s livelihood, unified the resistance against foreign invasion with the promotion of social progress, and promoted a great awakening of the people. Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: “The degree of awakening and unity of the Chinese people promoted by this war is unmatched by any of the great struggles of the Chinese people in the past hundred years.”

这一时期，毛泽东同志一再指出：“民力和军力相结合，将给日本帝国主义以致命的打击。民族战争而不依靠人民大众，毫无疑义将不能取得胜利。”因此，“我们主张全国人民总动员的完全的民族革命战争，或者叫作全面抗战”。1938年，毛泽东同志在《论持久战》中进一步强调：“战争的伟力之最深厚的根源，存在于民众之中”“如此伟大的民族革命战争，没有普遍和深入的政治动员，是不能胜利的”。而要进行政治动员，首先必须把战争的政治目的告诉军队和人民，必须使每个士兵每个人都明白为什么要打仗，打仗和他们有什么关系，如此才能造成抗日的热潮，使几万万人齐心一致，贡献一切给战争。实践证明，全面抗战路线把实行全民族抗战与争取人民民主、改善人民生活结合起来，把反对外敌入侵与推动社会进步统一起来，促进了民众的大觉醒。毛泽东同志指出：“这个战争促进中国人民的觉悟和团结的程度，是近百年来中国人民的一切伟大的斗争没有一次比得上的。”

Throughout the entire War of Resistance Against Japan, the Communist Party of China insisted on mobilizing the people and relying on the people, driving the formation of a historical torrent of nationwide resistance. The US Army Observer Group in Yan’an discovered: “The Communist Party has integrated the people and the army into one, mobilizing all, so it can achieve results in the War of Resistance.” In the post-war compilation *The North China Public Security War* by the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s War History Office, it was written: “The Chinese Communist Party and its army concentrated all their efforts on understanding the people and winning their hearts and minds. Not only Japan, but even the Chongqing side, was far from being able to compare. Precisely because of this, although they were at a numerical disadvantage, they possessed a tenacious strength that could not be underestimated.” In stark contrast, the Kuomintang implemented a one-sided resistance line controlled by the government and dominated by the military, treating the War of Resistance as solely the government’s affair and hindering the integration of the government and army with the people. The difference between these two lines of resistance was enormous. Kuomintang propaganda expert Ye Qing (Ren Zhuoxuan) once analyzed: “Why does the Communist Party have strength? In my view, it is because during the War of Resistance, it was able to mobilize the people and develop guerrilla warfare successfully. As for our Party? It stood entirely on a bureaucratic viewpoint toward the War of Resistance, treating it as a matter for the military, neglecting the work of mobilizing the people and developing guerrilla warfare. Even if it did not completely neglect mobilizing the people and launching guerrilla warfare, it at least mobilized the people and launched guerrilla warfare with a bureaucratic style. Therefore, the Communist Party succeeded, and our Party did not.”

在整个抗日战争的过程中，中国共产党坚持动员人民、依靠人民，推动形成了全民族抗战的历史洪流。美军驻延安观察组发现：“共党已将民众与军队结为一体，全部动员，故能有抗日成绩之表现。”战后日本防卫厅战史室编写的《华北治安战》中这样写道：“中共及其军队集中全力去了解民众，争取民心，不但日本，就连重庆方面也是远远不能相比的。正因为如此，尽管他们在数量方面处于劣势，却具有不容轻视的坚韧力量。”与此形成鲜明对比的是，国民党实行政府操控、军队主体的片面抗战路线，把抗战看成只是政府的事，阻碍政府军队与民众结合。这两条不同抗战路线的区别是巨大的。国民党宣传干将叶青（任卓宣）曾分析：“共产党为什么有力量？依我看来，就是他在抗战期内，能够动员民众，发展游击得到成功。而本党呢？对抗战完全站在官僚主义观点上，把抗战看作是军队事情，忽略了动员民众，发展游击的工作，即不完全忽略动员民众，发动游击，但至少是以官僚作风来动员民众，发动游击，因此，共产党得到成功，本党没有成功。”

Strategic Guidance: Formulating and Implementing Correct Strategic Policies

战略指导：制定和实施正确的战略方针

The War of Resistance Against Japan was a war, so it is necessary to examine military strategic guidance and battlefield performance. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The Chinese Communists fought bravely on the front lines of the War of Resistance Against Japan, supporting the hope of the Chinese nation for national salvation and survival, and becoming the mainstay of the nationwide War of Resistance!” The Communist Party of China was the most resolute in defending national independence, the most determined in safeguarding national interests, and the most courageous in resisting foreign aggression.

抗日战争是一场战争，因此要看军事上的战略指导和战场表现。习近平总书记指出：“中国共产党人勇敢战斗在抗日战争最前线，支撑起中华民族救亡图存的希望，成为全民族抗战的中流砥柱！”中国共产党捍卫民族独立最坚定，维护民族利益最坚决，反抗外来侵略最勇敢。

After the September 18th Incident [11]11 The September 18th Incident (1931) was a staged event where Japanese troops blew up a section of railway near Mukden (Shenyang) and blamed Chinese soldiers, using it as a pretext to invade and occupy Northeast China., the Communist Party of China was the first to raise the banner of armed resistance, launching guerrilla warfare in the Northeast, becoming the starting point of the Chinese people’s War of Resistance Against Japan and simultaneously unveiling the prelude to the World Anti-Fascist War. In April 1932, the Provisional Central Government of the Chinese Soviet Republic issued the *Declaration of War Against Japan*, stating that it “formally declares war on Japan, leading the entire Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army and the broad masses of oppressed people, with a national revolutionary war, to drive Japanese imperialism out of China” and “to seek the complete liberation and independence of the Chinese nation.” After the start of the nationwide War of Resistance, as the scale and scope of the war increasingly expanded, whether correct strategic guidance could be provided became crucial. The Communist Party of China, standing at a strategic and overall height, promptly formulated and implemented correct strategic policies, providing a scientific guide for achieving victory in the War of Resistance.

九一八事变后，中国共产党率先举起武装抗日旗帜，在东北开展游击战争，成为中国人民抗日战争的起点，同时揭开了世界反法西斯战争的序幕。1932年4月，中华苏维埃共和国临时中央政府发布《对日战争宣言》，表示“正式宣布对日战争，领导全中国工农红军和广大被压迫民众，以民族革命战争，驱逐日本帝国主义出中国”“以求中国民族彻底的解放和独立”。全民族抗战开始后，随着战争的规模和范围日益扩大，能否进行正确的战略指导至关重要。中国共产党站在战略和全局高度，及时制定和实施正确的战略方针，为争取抗战胜利提供了科学指南。

After Japan launched its full-scale war of aggression against China, the Chinese nation faced an unprecedented crisis. The question that concerned the entire nation most was: Can this war be won? How can victory be achieved? In 1938, Comrade Mao Zedong published the article *On Protracted War*. Through an in-depth analysis of the characteristics of both China and Japan, it accurately predicted the three stages of the War of Resistance: defense, stalemate, and finally counter-offensive. The development of the War of Resistance situation fully confirmed this brilliant thesis. *On Protracted War* gave the entire nation a clear understanding of the process and prospects of the War of Resistance, greatly strengthening their confidence and determination to persist in the resistance. Liang Shuming recalled: “In all these years, no one had ever given me such a convincing talk about the inevitable victory of the War of Resistance, how to resist Japan, and how it would develop, nor had I seen such an article. I had heard and read Chiang Kai-shek’s speeches and statements many times, and had several individual conversations with him, but none had the same appeal and persuasiveness as Mao Zedong’s this time. I say this without any subjective praise or criticism; it is a historical fact.”

日本发动全面侵华战争后，中华民族面临空前危机，全国人民最关心的问题是：这场战争能不能胜利？怎样争取胜利？1938年，毛泽东同志发表《论持久战》一文，通过深入分析中日双方特点，准确地预见了抗日战争由防御到相持、最后到反攻的三个阶段。抗日战争的形势发展完全证实了这一英明论断。《论持久战》使全国人民对抗战的进程和前途有了清晰的认识，极大坚定了坚持抗战的信心和决心。梁漱溟回忆：“几年来对于抗战必胜，以至如何抗日，怎样发展，还没有人对我作过这样使我信服的谈话，也没有看到过这样的文章。蒋介石的讲话、文告我听过、看过多次，个别交谈也有若干次了，都没有象这一次毛泽东那样有这么大的吸引力和说服力。我说这些，毫不带主观上的随意褒贬，而是历史事实。”

To implement the general policy of protracted war, the Communist Party of China, starting from the reality of the disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves, especially the huge gap in weaponry and equipment, and based on the people’s army’s strength in mobilizing the masses and waging guerrilla warfare, decisively changed its military strategy, shifting from mobile warfare to guerrilla warfare. In August 1937, Zhang Wentian and Mao Zedong telegraphed Zhou Enlai and others, pointing out that the Red Army’s operational principle was to carry out independent and dispersed guerrilla warfare under the overall strategic policy. In the same month, the Luochuan Conference [12]12 The Luochuan Conference (August 1937) was a meeting of the CPC Central Committee that set the strategic policy of independent guerrilla warfare in the enemy’s rear during the War of Resistance. determined that the Red Army’s strategic policy was independent and dispersed mountain guerrilla warfare, and emphasized that its operational principle was to disperse to mobilize the masses and concentrate to annihilate the enemy. In 1938, Comrade Mao Zedong, in *The Strategic Problems of Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Warfare* and *On Protracted War*, elevated guerrilla warfare to a strategic level and provided a comprehensive exposition, clearly stating that the Eighth Route Army’s policy was “basically guerrilla warfare, but without relaxing mobile warfare under favorable conditions.” Under the guidance of this correct strategic policy, the Communist Party of China gradually seized the initiative on the battlefield. The Japanese army was also forced to admit: “The Communist army’s guerrilla tactics are ingenious, and its power is growing day by day, widely expanding its territory.” They also compared the Kuomintang and Communist armies: “From the perspective of combat results, the Chongqing army is relatively easy to defeat, but it is extremely difficult to capture and annihilate the Communist army, which adopts tactics of retreat and dispersal.” The Kuomintang was also inspired by this and once tried to imitate guerrilla warfare, but ultimately failed because it was divorced from the masses.

为了实现持久战战略总方针，中国共产党从敌我力量对比尤其是武器装备悬殊的实际出发，根据人民军队善于发动群众和打游击战的特长，果断改变军事战略，即由运动战向游击战转变。1937年8月，张闻天、毛泽东致电周恩来等，指出红军的作战原则是在整个战略方针下执行独立自主的分散作战的游击战争。同月，洛川会议确定了红军的战略方针是独立自主的山地游击战，并强调其作战原则是分散以发动群众，集中以消灭敌人。1938年，毛泽东同志在《抗日游击战争的战略问题》《论持久战》中将游击战争提到战略高度并作出全面阐述，明确提出八路军的方针“基本的是游击战，但不放松有利条件下的运动战”。在这一正确战略方针的指导下，中国共产党逐步掌握了战场的主动权。日军也不得不承认：“共军的游击战术巧妙，其势力与日俱增，广泛地扩大了地盘。”他们还对比了国共军队：“从作战成果看，重庆军比较容易击败，但要捕捉、消灭采取退避分散战术的共军则极为困难。”而国民党也从中受到启发，曾效仿游击战，但终因脱离群众纷纷失败。

During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Communist Party of China consistently adhered to the general policy of protracted war and the strategic policy of guerrilla warfare, engaging in a life-and-death struggle with the enemy and becoming the backbone of the resistance. In the strategic defensive stage, when the Kuomintang army was retreating, the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army unhesitatingly advanced into the enemy’s rear, establishing a series of anti-Japanese base areas and opening up vast enemy rear battlefields. In the strategic stalemate and counter-offensive stages, the enemy rear battlefield gradually rose to become the main battlefield of the War of Resistance. Under extremely arduous conditions, the military and civilians in the base areas extensively carried out tactical methods of guerrilla warfare such as ambushes, sabotage operations, mine warfare, tunnel warfare, and sparrow warfare, forming a vast ocean of people’s war. They annihilated and pinned down a large number of enemy troops, alleviating pressure on the frontal battlefield, becoming an important factor in prompting the Kuomintang to resist to the end, and playing a decisive role in persisting in the resistance and achieving victory in the War of Resistance.

抗日战争时期，中国共产党始终坚持持久战战略总方针和游击战战略方针，与敌人展开殊死搏斗，成为坚持抗战的中坚力量。在战略防御阶段，当国民党军队败退之际，八路军、新四军义无反顾地挺进敌后，创建一系列抗日根据地，开辟了广大的敌后战场。在战略相持和反攻阶段，敌后战场逐渐上升为抗日战争主战场，根据地军民在艰苦卓绝的条件下，广泛开展伏击战、破袭战、地雷战、地道战、麻雀战等游击战的战术战法，汇成人民战争的汪洋大海，消灭和牵制了大量敌人，减轻了正面战场的压力，成为促使国民党抗战到底的一个重要因素，对坚持抗战和夺取抗战胜利起到了决定性的作用。

Party Building: Outstanding Leadership

党的建设：卓越领导力

A very important reason why the Communist Party of China was able to play the role of mainstay was that the Party gradually matured during the War of Resistance. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “During the War of Resistance Against Japan, at the critical juncture of national peril, the Communist Party of China, with its outstanding political leadership and correct strategic policies, guided the direction of China’s War of Resistance.” “Without the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the task of achieving national independence and liberation might have been delayed much longer and come at a much greater cost.”

中国共产党之所以能发挥中流砥柱作用，一个很重要的原因就是党在抗日战争中逐渐成熟。习近平总书记指出：“在抗日战争时期，在民族危亡的历史关头，中国共产党以卓越的政治领导力和正确的战略策略，指引了中国抗战的前进方向”“如果没有中国共产党领导，完成民族独立和解放的任务就可能拖得更久、付出的代价更大”。

In the early stages of the full-scale War of Resistance, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: “For a political party to lead a revolution to victory, it must rely on the correctness of its own political line and the consolidation of its organization.” To this end, he proposed the goal of “building a Bolshevik-type Communist Party of China that is nationwide in scope, broadly mass-based, and fully consolidated ideologically, politically, and organizationally,” and called it a “great project.” To achieve this goal, the Communist Party of China insisted on integrating Marxism with China’s concrete reality, achieving fruitful results in ideological building, organizational building, and work style building.

全面抗战初期，毛泽东同志指出：“一个政党要引导革命到胜利，必须依靠自己政治路线的正确和组织上的巩固。”为此，他提出了“建设一个全国范围的、广大群众性的、思想上政治上组织上完全巩固的布尔什维克化的中国共产党”的目标，并称之为“伟大的工程”。为了实现这一目标，中国共产党坚持把马克思主义与中国具体实际相结合，在思想建设、组织建设、作风建设等方面取得了丰硕成果。

In ideological building, Mao Zedong Thought reached maturity during the War of Resistance period through systematic summarization and multifaceted development. Comrade Deng Xiaoping said: “The Yan’an period can be said to be the period when Mao Zedong Thought was relatively completely formed. Mao Zedong Thought’s theory of the New Democratic Revolution, including the theory of Party building and the principles for handling inner-Party relations, was relatively completely formed around the time of the Yan’an Rectification Movement [13]13 The Yan’an Rectification Movement (1942–1944) was a Party-wide campaign to study Marxist theory, correct dogmatism and subjectivism, and establish the ideological line of seeking truth from facts..” The Yan’an Rectification Movement overcame the erroneous tendencies that had once prevailed within the Party of dogmatizing Marxism and absolutizing Soviet experience and the directives of the Communist International, making the Marxist ideological line of seeking truth from facts deeply rooted in the hearts of the entire Party. On this basis, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee [14]14 The Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee (1945) was a CPC meeting that adopted the *Resolution on Certain Historical Questions*, summarizing Party history and unifying understanding. adopted the *Resolution on Certain Historical Questions*, which correctly concluded several major historical questions within the Party, bringing the entire Party’s understanding of the basic issues of the Chinese revolution into agreement. The Seventh National Congress [15]15 The Seventh National Congress of the CPC (1945) was held in Yan’an, adopted Mao Zedong Thought as the Party’s guiding ideology, and elected a new Central Committee. incorporated Mao Zedong Thought into the Party Constitution, establishing its guiding position in the entire Party, laying a solid ideological and theoretical foundation for achieving victory in the War of Resistance.

在思想建设上，毛泽东思想在抗日战争时期得到系统总结和多方面展开而达到成熟。邓小平同志说：“延安时期那一段，可以说是毛泽东思想比较完整地形成起来的一段。毛泽东思想中关于新民主主义革命的理论，包括党的建设的理论和处理党内关系的原则，在延安整风前后，都比较完整地形成了。”延安整风克服了在党内曾经一度盛行的把马克思主义教条化、把苏联经验和共产国际指示神圣化绝对化的错误倾向，使实事求是的马克思主义思想路线在全党深入人心。在此基础上，党的六届七中全会通过《关于若干历史问题的决议》，对党内若干重大的历史问题作出了正确结论，使全党对中国革命基本问题的认识达到一致。党的七大把毛泽东思想写入党章，确立了毛泽东思想在全党的指导地位，为夺取抗战胜利奠定了坚实的思想理论基础。

In organizational building, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Party held in 1938 overcame Wang Ming’s rightist errors in the early stage of the all-out War of Resistance, further clarified Comrade Mao Zedong’s leading position, and resolved the issue of unified Party leadership. [16]16 The Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC (National Academy of Governance) is the highest training institution for Party and government cadres in China. Thereafter, through a series of documents such as the “Decision on Strengthening Party Spirit,” the “Decision on Unifying Leadership in Anti-Japanese Base Areas and Adjusting Relations Among Various Organizations,” and the “Decision on Adjusting Central Organs and Streamlining,” the Party emphasized unified Party leadership and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, ensuring that the Party’s line, principles, and policies were implemented and that the entire Party acted in unison from top to bottom. As Comrade Mao Zedong said: “We are the Communist Party; we must lead the people to defeat the enemy, so our ranks must be orderly and our steps must be coordinated.” The Seventh National Congress of the Party formed a long-tested group of politicians holding high the banner of Mao Zedong, uniting the entire Party under Mao Zedong’s banner and achieving unprecedented unity.

在组织建设上，1938年召开的党的六届六中全会克服了全面抗战初期王明的右倾错误，进一步明确了毛泽东同志的领导地位，解决了党的统一领导问题。此后通过《关于增强党性的决定》《关于统一抗日根据地党的领导及调整各组织间关系的决定》《关于中央机构调整及精简的决定》等一系列文件，强调党的一元化领导和党中央集中统一领导，保证了党的路线方针政策得到贯彻执行，使全党上下始终步调一致地行动。正如毛泽东同志所说：“我们是共产党，我们要领导人民打倒敌人，我们的队伍就要整齐，我们的步调就要一致”。党的七大形成了一支高举毛泽东旗帜的久经考验的政治家集团，使全党团结在毛泽东的旗帜下，实现了空前统一。

In style building, our Party greatly enhanced its cohesion, appeal, and combat effectiveness by establishing a good image. The concept of “Party style” was first proposed by Comrade Mao Zedong. In 1937, at the National Congress of the Communist Party of China, he said: “To guide a great revolution, there must be a great Party and many of the best cadres. They are selfless national and class heroes; this is the character and style that Communist Party members, Party cadres, and Party leaders should possess.” In 1942, Comrade Mao Zedong called for rectifying the Party’s style at the opening ceremony of the Central Party School. During the Yan’an period, the Party attached great importance to style building, always maintaining the advanced nature and purity of a Marxist political party, preserving the vigorous fighting spirit and clean style of the revolutionary ranks, and, on the basis of summing up historical experience, formed the three fine styles of integrating theory with practice, maintaining close ties with the masses, and practicing criticism and self-criticism, ultimately defeating the “Xi’an style” with the “Yan’an style.” [17]17 Tongxin (同心) is a pseudonym used by the online editorial team of Qiushi Journal, the CPC’s flagship theoretical publication. In 1940, patriotic overseas Chinese leader Chen Jiageng successively inspected Chongqing and Yan’an and, after comparison, concluded that “the Kuomintang Chiang government is bound to lose, and the Yan’an Communist Party is bound to win,” predicting: “China’s hope lies in Yan’an!”

在作风建设上，我们党通过树立良好形象，大大提升了凝聚力、号召力和战斗力。“党的作风”这一概念最早是毛泽东同志提出来的。1937年，他在中国共产党全国代表会议上说：“指导伟大的革命，要有伟大的党，要有许多最好的干部”“他们是大公无私的民族的阶级的英雄，这就是共产党员、党的干部、党的领袖应该有的性格和作风”。1942年，毛泽东同志在中央党校开学典礼上号召整顿党的作风。延安时期，党高度重视作风建设，始终保持马克思主义政党的先进性纯洁性，保持革命队伍旺盛的斗志和廉洁的作风，并在总结历史经验的基础上，形成了理论联系实践、密切联系群众、批评和自我批评三大优良作风，最终以“延安作风”打败了“西安作风”。1940年，爱国侨领陈嘉庚先后考察重庆和延安，对比后断定“国民党蒋政府必败，延安共产党必胜”，并预言：“中国的希望在延安！”

In 1939, Comrade Mao Zedong summarized in the “Foreword to ‘The Communist’”: “The united front, armed struggle, and Party building are the three magic weapons for the Communist Party of China to defeat the enemy in the Chinese revolution.” During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Communist Party of China, through its adept use of these three magic weapons, played an irreplaceable role in political leadership, social mobilization, strategic guidance, and Party building, thus becoming the mainstay and key to victory in the War of Resistance. In the War of Resistance, the Communist Party of China, with its political propositions, firm will, and exemplary actions, guided the Chinese people to forge the great spirit of the War of Resistance, showing the world a patriotic sentiment of “everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the nation,” a national integrity of facing death unflinchingly and preferring death to surrender, a heroic spirit of defying brute force and fighting to the bitter end, and an unyielding belief in perseverance and tenacity. Inspired, called upon, and encouraged by the great spirit of the War of Resistance, countless outstanding sons and daughters of China faced death unflinchingly and preferred death to surrender, building an indestructible Great Wall of flesh and blood for the Chinese nation with their iron will, making outstanding contributions to the final victory of the War of Resistance.

1939年，毛泽东同志在《〈共产党人〉发刊词》中概括：“统一战线，武装斗争，党的建设，是中国共产党在中国革命中战胜敌人的三个法宝”。抗日战争时期，中国共产党正是通过对三大法宝的纯熟运用，在政治引领、社会动员、战略指导、党的建设等方面均发挥了不可替代的作用，从而成为抗日战争的中流砥柱和胜利关键。中国共产党在抗日战争中以自己的政治主张、坚定意志、模范行动，引导中国人民铸就了伟大的抗战精神，向世界展示了天下兴亡、匹夫有责的爱国情怀，视死如归、宁死不屈的民族气节，不畏强暴、血战到底的英雄气概，百折不挠、坚忍不拔的必胜信念。在伟大抗战精神引领、感召和激励下，无数优秀的中华儿女视死如归、宁死不屈，以铮铮铁骨为中华民族筑起牢不可破的血肉长城，为抗战的最终胜利作出卓越贡献。

History is the best textbook. The Communist Party of China was not only the mainstay that saved the nation from peril during the War of Resistance but is also the strong leading core for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation today. On the new journey of the New Era, we will still encounter various risks and challenges and face various severe struggles. We must firmly uphold the Two Establishments, resolutely achieve the Two Upholds, unremittingly

历史是最好的教科书。中国共产党不仅是抗战中挽救民族危亡的中流砥柱，而且是今天实现中华民族伟大复兴的坚强领导核心。新时代新征程，我们仍然会遇到各种各样的风险挑战，会面临各种各样的严峻斗争。我们必须坚定拥护“两个确立”，坚决做到“两个维护”，坚持不懈用习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想凝心铸魂，更加紧密地团结在以习近平同志为核心的党中央周围，更好把握和运用党的百余年奋斗尤其是抗战时期形成的历史经验，坚持党的领导，坚持人民至上，坚持理论创新，坚持独立自主，坚持中国道路，坚持胸怀天下，坚持开拓创新，坚持敢于斗争，坚持统一战线，坚持自我革命，弘扬伟大抗战精神，时刻保持解决大党独有难题的清醒和坚定，以伟大自我革命引领伟大社会革命，全面推进党的建设新的伟大工程，确保党始终成为中国特色社会主义事业的坚强领导核心。

(The author is a researcher at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era of the Party School of the Central Committee of the CPC [National Academy of Governance])

（作者为中央党校（国家行政学院）习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心研究员）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心